The U.S. government for the first time is spending federal dollars to promote the USA abroad.

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Foreign tourism to the USA still has not rebounded to pre-Sept. 11 levels. So the federal government this year is spending $6 million on an ad campaign in the United Kingdom, the USA's No. 1 overseas tourist market. The government will spend $10 million next year in the U.K. and Japan, the No. 2 overseas market. (Canada and Mexico are the No. 1 and No. 2 foreign markets but aren't considered "overseas.")

The print, TV and billboard campaign, by M&C Saatchi, is inspired by one of the USA's most popular exports: movies. The campaign borrows still shots from major "location" movies, including Chicago, L.A. Story and Maid in Manhattan.

"You've seen the film," says an ad showing Thelma and Louise at the Grand Canyon. "Now visit the set."

"Our primary goal is to get people to start thinking about traveling to the U.S.," said Douglas Baker, top tourism official at the Commerce Department, which paid for the campaign.

TRAVEL TO USA IS DOWN

Top tourist countries (non-No. America)

2004 U.S. arrivals (in millions)

Chg. from 2000

United Kingdom

4.3

-8.5%

Japan

3.7

-26.0%

Germany

1.3

-26.1%

France

0.8

-28.7%

South Korea

0.6

-5.3%

All countries

45.2

-11.7%

Source: Department of Commerce, April 2005

Though states, localities and tourist attractions have long invested in marketing abroad, the U.S. government has not contributed before. Although international arrivals have risen in recent years, U.S. tourism officials say they're not as high as they should be given the weak dollar and the growing middle class around the world.

International arrivals last year — 45.2 million — were still 12% fewer than five years ago. Some markets are rebounding faster than others. Visits last year from the U.K and Japan during the same period were down 9% and 26%, respectively, Commerce says. Slowing economies, new competition from other destinations, and safety concerns are all to blame, experts say. The United States is also fighting an image battered by the war in Iraq and, more recently, the government's response to Hurricane Katrina, says Abraham Pizam, dean of the University of Central Florida in Orlando's hospitality school.

Foreign tourists are generally more valuable economically than domestic tourists, Pizam says, because they tend to stay longer and spend about twice as much per day. In New York, for instance, they represent 18% of visitors but 45% of visitor spending, says Loews Hotels Chairman Jonathan Tisch.

Foreigners are especially missed by cities they have traditionally frequented, such as New York, Orlando, Las Vegas, Honolulu, San Francisco and Chicago.

The Commerce Department won't know until late next year whether the ads generated more visits to the Big Apple, Disney and other destinations. Early studies are encouraging, Baker said.